Midna's Desperate Hour
by TheSilhouette
Summary: "My Midna…" Zant leaned and whispered into her ear, causing the girl to shiver and make a disgusted face. "Did you forget?" he continued, smiling at the discomfort he caused her. "That beast is one of the light dwellers who oppressed our people." "Not Link," Midna refuted, staring at the lifeless wolf. The only thought in her head was a repeated 'is he dead? Is he dead? '


**Just my take on Midna's Desperate Hour from Twilight Princess. I mainly did this for , but decided to post it here, too.**

**At some points, I alter the script a bit. Mostly in the beginning, but after they warp out of the Lakebed Temple, it follows the script pretty well. Reviews are much appreciated.**

**I don't own LoZ or Link or Zelda or Midna or whatever. That's all Nintendo.**

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The last of the Fused Shadows… such a concentrated evil that the purest of hearts would succumb to darkness with only a touch. It glowed bright with darkness, something Link wasn't too sure was possible. It beckoned to him with its seductive power; now that it lost its host, the Fused Shadow called for a new one. It needed someone to manipulate, to use as a puppet for the sole purpose of wreaking havoc upon the world. He had only heard of it in legends, yet there it lay on the sandy floor of the Lakebed Temple as if the goddesses had simply plucked it from its hiding place and placed it before the Hero.

He only wished it had been that simple. Morpheel was a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure, and there was always an innate fear within Link that the Zora Armor would cease to work, and, having no way out, water would fill his lungs as a prelude to a painful, painful death. As soon as the water drained, he changed back into his Hero's Clothes, grateful for once to be able to breathe on his own.

Breathe was an understatement. When the rush of the battle with the Twilit Aquatic had finally worn off, Link fell to his knees with exasperated breaths and wheezes, trying to get every last drop of water that had fallen in his lungs out of there. The wet sand stuck to his brown leather gloves as he tried holding himself up, but his arms were about to give out, too. Link's back arched forward in agony while he coughed and gagged with eyes squinted shut. When he opened them again, blood colored the sand in red dots below him, and he groaned as he remembered being nearly blown to bits by bomb-fish and chewed a couple times by the repulsive monster itself. Luckily, he avoided its teeth where he could, and managed to stab the Ordon Sword inside its mouth a few times to force the thing to let him go.

Somehow, in the weightlessness of being underwater, Link still felt the weight of the world upon him…

"What are you doing?" a sassy feminine voice asked him. "It's the last Fused Shadow! Let's go!" It was Midna, the imp-like creature Link had met when imprisoned as a wolf. She had freed him from the cell in what was once Hyrule Castle with the request – no, more like _demand_ – that he help her find these mysterious dark sources of power. Of course, she wouldn't tell him why at first, but he had no choice but to comply in order to save his friends, all of Hyrule, and – he recently learned – Midna's home realm.

"Link?" she asked when he didn't respond. Gently, the floating imp descended toward the fallen hero and shook his shoulder. "Link, look!" Midna told him, pointing to a glistening heart-shaped gem right across from the Fused Shadow. "Link, it's a Heart Container! It'll make you all better! Link!" She shook him again, but his arms had grown too weak and gave out as he fell to the sandy floor. The imp's red eyes widened in horror, appalled at what she had done to the Hero. "Link…" she whispered before looking back at the heart and getting an idea. Swiftly, Midna hovered over and brought it to the trembling and pathetic-looking boy, watching as he slowly recovered his strength.

With a grunt, Link stood again on his own feet and wiped the sand off of his clothes. Every wound that he received instantly healed, and every aching muscle flexed with strength once more. This magic was something that only the goddesses could conjure, like a thank-you gift that they sent him for cleansing the lands of Hyrule.

"Thank you," he said to Midna, who gave a triumphant smirk in response.

"Well, next time, just _ask _for me to get it for you. We don't need the dramatics," she teased as she rolled her eyes. With steady hands, the imp girl picked up the final Fused Shadow and stared at it with admiring eyes. "Finally…" she whispered again before safely stowing it away with the others. "Now, don't resent me for all I've put you through. I NEED this thing!"

"I don't resent you, Midna."

"Besides, we have to do something about Zant, the one who thinks he is king of the shadows…" Midna shook her head in disgust at the thought of the man. "His power is a false one… and I'll prove it using these!" She let out a deep sigh before looking back at Link. "I'm sorry for dragging you all over the place with me…"

"Are you saying your goodbyes to me, Midna?" the Hero asked with a puzzled look.

"Well, we're about to face Zant, and even though we have the Fused Shadow whole, I can't guarantee that we'll both get out alive…" Link picked up his sword that was stabbed into the sand and wielded it with great finesse, slashing it through the air to test his new strength.

"But I can," he responded menacingly before sheathing the blade that Rusl had forged for him.

"Link…" she began, shaking her head, "I don't know what this power is going to do to me… what it'll make me become…" Midna looked down at her pathetic imp form. "Or even if I can handle it."

"Then let me use it," the Hero suggested. "I was selected by the goddesses, after all."

"No!" she exclaimed with anger in her eyes. "It'll corrupt you. Anything Twili that is touched by a light-dweller will pervert and distort them."

"It'll be different for me, I know it!"

"No, it won't!" Midna's mind traveled to Fyrus and the baboon from the Forest Temple, how pure they had once been and how the Fused Shadows turned them to evil. "I have to use it. It's the only way." The girl paused and looked Link over once again. He would be no match for Zant's power. "And I don't think you should come."

"What? There's no way I'm letting this Zant guy hurt you!"

Midna recoiled and shook her head."There's nothing that you'll be able to do…"

"I'm not letting you face him alone! Now, you brought me into this mess, and I'm staying until we're _both _out," Link commanded with a new sense of authority. He wasn't going to let her go alone; there was a better shot at winning if they went together.

"Ilia," the girl stated simply.

"What?"

"Ilia," she repeated. "She needs you." Midna was right. Having no memory and subsequently no friends, Link was the one thing that Ilia did need. Somehow, some way, their bond would restore her health. Link knew this, and now realized that there was no way that he was going to win this argument.

"It's dangerous to go alone," he told her monotonously as he unsheathed his sword and handed it to her. "Take this." The imp slowly took hold of the hilt and examined the blade in her hands.

"Th-thank you…"

"Good luck to you, Midna," he said, trying to smile. "May it serve you well."

"And good luck to you, Link. I hope Ilia remembers." Link nodded and Midna smiled, looking at the Hero for what she thought would probably be the last time, then hovered over and created a warp portal in the floor.

"So… shall we go?" she asked him. Without verbal response, Link walked over to the portal and allowed Midna to warp him one final time.

Lanayru spring was silent. Eerily silent. At first, Link expected Lanayru to give him some words of wisdom, but he then recalled that his journey was over with, and it was all up to Midna now. Solemnly, the Hero turned around and began his journey home.

But Link wasn't that lucky. Greeting him when he turned around was a tall, ominous figure that hid its face behind a helmet. It let out an ear-splitting screech as it loomed over the boy, who was frozen in terror. Its fingers were like tentacles that dangled from long black sleeves, on which many intricate markings glowed, and its helmet looked like a fish head with a tongue that was too big for its face. This could only be the notorious Zant.

Link twitched his arm to reach for his blade, but quickly realized that he had given it to Midna. There was nothing that he could do but stand there, frozen, and see what the Shadow King wanted.

Where was Midna? She usually warped back with him, but she may have parted ways already. He could feel Zant looking down at him menacingly, even though he couldn't see his face. He considered pulling his Hero's Bow out as some form of defense when a bright light from behind him glowed upon the disturbing fish helmet. Lanayru, the snake-like Light Spirit, hissed at Zant and prepared his powers of light. Link's feelings of helplessness were washed away, but quickly revived when he realized that this spirit had been beaten by the powers of shadow before.

The Hero thought he might have heard laughing from the ominous figure before a sudden shockwave of dark power both knocked Link on his back and caused Lanayru to fall helpless back into the spring. The jolt of power caused Link's muscles to twitch and spasm in agony. Midna was right; there was absolutely nothing that he could do. He tried getting up, but none of Link's muscles would comply with his efforts, and he could only lie there and await the horrors that Zant would bring to him, hopeless now that the Light Spirit had fallen so easily.

As soon as the Orb of Light that Lanayru carried in his mouth had fallen into the spring, the area was covered in the eerie Twilight once again. Light turned to shadow, and life to a feeble form of half-existence. Zant fed off the power of Twilight, which only made him more dangerous and threatening.

Link felt the change again, the change that only the ethereal power of Twilight could force him to make. His bones shifted, fur sprouted from his skin, and his teeth grew longer and sharper. The Hero was again a blue-eyed beast, yet the power from Zant's shockwave still rendered him motionless. A light groan from beside Link almost harmonized with his own.

"Zant!" the voice declared in absolute repulsion. Before she could say anything else, the powerful Shadow King had her debilitated and suspended in the air above the spring, causing a gasp of panic to escape her lips. The wolf-boy managed to open his eyes. _Midna! _What was she doing back here? Or had she never left?

Zant walked out to the edge of the precipice which hung over Lanayru Spring, now dark and polluted with shadow, to greet the girl. Without saying anything, the Fused Shadows suddenly appeared before Midna and were brought in front of the Usurper King with a terrified yell from her. She had a right to be terrified; they had worked so hard for this dark power. It was their only hope, which had now been in vain.

"Did you honestly mean to take an ancient and withered power like this and turn it against me?" he asked in a low, maniacal voice that might belong to a serpent. Midna struggled against whatever magic he was using to hold her in a desperate attempt to be set free, but to no avail. The fear in her eyes was visible although she tried to hide it, and her little black and white imp body trembled. _No fear, _she kept telling herself. _No fear._

Zant threw the three pieces of the Fused Shadow carelessly aside as if they were nothing, which only insulted Midna even more. If he didn't care about this grand legendary power, how great could be the limits of his own?

"You are a foolish traitor, Midna," he continued, seeming somehow amused at rendering her completely helpless. He chuckled with a sinister hiss that echoed through the dark cavern. "Why do you defy your king?"

Giving himself such a title enraged the imp girl. "My KING? You, who do nothing but abuse the magic your tribe?" she shouted angrily, still struggling to break free. "You must be joking!"

"How dare you?!" he spat, tightening his magical restraints on her. "Are you implying that my power is…" he scoffed, "…our old magic? Now THAT is a joke!" _Blasphemy, _Midna thought to herself as she glared. _Treason._

As if Zant had heard these thoughts aloud, he used his magic to hover the girl back over to the land in front of the spring's entrance and violently slammed her to the ground, causing dust and dirt to fly through the air. Midna's painful and terrified scream as she pounded into the dirt echoed so loudly and desperately in the Twilit emptiness that it gave Link reason and strength enough to fight through his darkness-induced paralysis. As he began to recover his strength, Zant continued to talk, creating an ominous-looking red orb in front him.

"This power is granted to me by my god! It is the magic of the King of Twilight, and you WILL respect it!" he commanded of her. Midna slowly pushed herself up off the ground and glared back at her assailant, about to reply with "you can't make me!" when something stopped her. Link, finally having his strength restored to him, growled and barked as he lunged at the Usurper, teeth barred. _Stay away from her!_

However, it seemed that the red orb Zant created had Link's name written on it, for the wolf only got within a foot of the man before the red orb pushed him back and rendered him powerless and motionless once again. He recalled a stabbing pain that felt as if someone was ripping his skull open before he blacked out.

"Link!" Midna called as she scrambled over to his side. She placed one of her hands on his snout, urging him to wake up, to run, to do _something. _"Link, _please, _wake up!" she begged, now terrified beyond all belief. Was he… dead? "Please, no…" the imp whispered, and right before she was about to find out for sure, she felt herself unwillingly being pulled up and restrained again. This time, right in front of Zant so that she couldn't see him. Midna struggled briefly, but, knowing it was futile, quickly gave in. "I swear to the goddesses, if you killed him…" she threatened through barred teeth, her body angrily shaking.

"My Midna…" Zant leaned and whispered into her ear, causing the girl shiver and make a disgusted face. Never would she be "his Midna," not if her life depended on it. "Did you forget?" he continued, smiling at the discomfort he caused her. "That beast is one of the light dwellers who oppressed our people."

"Not Link," Midna refuted, staring at the lifeless wolf. The only thought in her head was a repeated _is he dead? Is he dead?_

"No matter how much you may desire otherwise…" Zant put a creepy emphasis on the word _desire, _"…you will never be more than a shadow in their world." Midna shook her head in denial. "You cannot consort with their kind!" he exclaimed. "But," he went back to a whisper, "if we can make their world ours, Midna…" she knew all too well where he was going with this. "…light and darkness will meet at last."

She knew. She knew what Zant was trying to do, and she resented him for it. Midna wanted to tear his limbs off right then and there using her own bare imp hands. He was using her relationship with Link as a means to show her that, if she wanted to be with him in this world, that she would have to bring it to its knees through Twilight. Would Midna be willing to do that? Risk the world just so that she may live in it freely, instead of hiding behind shadow? Even then, Link would still be a wolf, and everyone else but Zelda would merely become spirits. And then what? Zant would abuse his power, and everyone would suffer. Who knew what horrible things he would have done to Midna…?

"Our tribe will take back their realm… and sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light! And that, Midna, is why…" the tongue of the fish helmet folded back into itself as Zant paused, revealing a grey-colored chin and lips almost as black as night. He leaned in even closer to Midna's pointed ear and menacingly whispered, "I need you." The girl's face again scrunched up in repugnance at his words, not wanting to be "needed" by Zant in the slightest. In her mind, Midna began to question what Zant actually wanted from her besides her power. She looked back at Link, still immobile, and silently begged for him to save her.

"Not just for me," he continued, his lips almost brushing her ear, "but for all of our people… Lend me your power." Having been disgusted enough, the imp girl managed to break free temporarily from Zant's clutches and get as far away from him as possible. She crawled over to Link and checked his heartbeat with her ear.

"Please, please, please," she begged the heart, willing it to pump the beast's blood. And it did. Slowly but surely, Link's heart gave a quiet beat, but only did so in extended intervals, which frightened Midna. She shook him again. "Please help, Link. Please!" she whispered. "I'm scared… and I never should have left you."

"So be it," Zant responded in an angry and frustrated tone. "I will return you to the light world you covet!" Again, Midna was taken captive by his magic and thrown in suspension above the spring. She screamed in desperation again, having been torn away from her only hope. Slowly, Lanayru rose from his spring with the light orb in his mouth and faced Midna, not having any control over his actions. A tear fell from Midna's eye as she predicted what the Light Spirit was going to do to her. _I'm going to die… _With a final terrorized cry, the girl squeezed her eyes shut as blinding light enveloped her, burning her entire body. Twili weren't meant to handle that much light; they had evolved to live in darkness.

Lanayru, with a final attempt at saving them, used the last of his power to warp an incapacitated Link and a light-scorched Midna out of the sight of the Usurper King. The damage had been done, but this was the only way they would have a chance at survival. Suddenly, they were gone, and the Twilight vanished from the spring as well.

Still frustrated, Zant turned around to take the wolf-boy captive instead. If he had him, why, he would have Midna wrapped around his finger, and he could finally rule both realms! However, to his dismay, Link was gone, too. _Oh well, _he thought, preparing to warp to the desert, _they'll be seeing me again soon. Very soon._

The pouring rain made the rooftops of Hyrule Castle slippery, and Link almost slipped several times trying to carry Midna to Princess Zelda. The wind was blowing so ferociously in varying directions that he had to check behind him periodically to make sure that she hadn't blown off of him. Luckily, the imp managed to keep a firm grip on the wolf's fur as they traveled. But only barely. Midna was injured to a degree which they both believed was beyond repair. When they landed in Hyrule field just in front of Castle Town, her skin was black where it should have been white, white where it should have been black, and her hair was a cold blue instead of a bright orange. What concerned Link the most was how she was breathing atop him; it was as if every breath was voluntary, she had to _think _about her breathing in order to breathe at all. Even so, her inhales were short and exasperated, like a sick infant's. As soon as Lanayru told him to take her to Zelda, Link bolted. He didn't waste his time with the bokoblins patrolling the road, only kept his sights on the castle.

Of course, the guards wouldn't let a dog with a foreign creature on its back into the castle, so Link frantically tried to find another way. Midna's breaths were becoming desperate and shaky, and with each minute her grip on his fur weakened. While pacing in panic, Link was approached by some of the animals in town, who told them about Telma's Bar. _Of course! The passage! _he thought. _Why did I forget about that!_

Not knowing where this secret passage to Hyrule Castle was, Link tried his luck by going in the bar through the already open door. But, being a frightening wolf-beast and probably smelling of wet dog, he was violently thrown out by a girl with black braids who was exceptionally strong for her age and gender. As he rolled on the concrete, the wolf looked back at the dying imp to make sure that she was alright. She gave a slight groan as Link stood up, but she was still alive.

"L-Link," she whispered, her voice almost too low, "Princess Zelda…Please…"

Link became frantic again. He couldn't get to Zelda through the main gates, and he couldn't use whatever secret passage was hidden in Telma's Bar. When he walked out with the thoughts of taking her somewhere peaceful until she died, the rain greeted them along with a voice from above. Telma's cat, Louise, jumped down from a hidden door and led them to the entrance of the secret passage to the castle. After walking along countless tightropes (which wasn't easy as Midna dangled from Link's back off-center), swimming through waterways and burning down spider webs, they finally reached it to the familiar setting of Hyrule Castle rooftops.

By this point, the only thing that Midna could manage to say was "Link…" which gave the wolf the courage to push onward. He was grateful when he finally jumped through the window inside the tower to get Midna out of the cold rain. He felt her body shiver atop his own, but it ceased as soon as she was indoors. Hastily, Link sprinted up the stairs to where he assumed the Princess would be.

But she wasn't. Or, at least, as far as Link could tell. When he entered the room in which Zelda is normally kept, he looked around desperately for her, but to no avail. Midna, as if sensing this, lost hope. She let go of her hold on the wolf's slippery fur and fell with a _thud _to the stone floor. Link quickly turned around and watched in horror as the girl was dying before his eyes. At least she was warm now, though. She could die warm.

Midna's breaths became so exaggerated that Link couldn't stand to watch. He couldn't bear watching his friend die slowly, painfully right in front of him, knowing that there was absolutely nothing that he could do. But he had no choice. He would not abandon her, but lay down on the cold floor with her, by her side until the end. Link swore to himself that, wolf or not, he was going to kill Zant. Brutally.

Out of the dark behind the open door, a gentle hand reached out to touch Midna's cheek. Zelda's concerned face stared down at the sick imp girl, her dark hood creating shadows on her face. Link stood up, completely relieved, and whimpered and gestured to Midna.

"Please… please tell me…" she managed between her breaths. Link and Zelda were both silent to listen. "How to we break… the curse on this one?" she asked. _Curse? _Link thought to himself. _She's not cursed, she's injur- _Then it dawned on him. The curse to which Midna was referring was the one placed on Link to make him a beast. Link looked down at her as Zelda took one of the imp's hands in both of hers. She cared more about Link than she did herself…

"This… is the one…" she continued, trying to keep her eyes open. "You need him… to save your world! That's why… Princess… please… you must help Link." The wolf shook his head at her, then looked up at Zelda as if to beg her to help Midna instead of him. Still, Zelda let go of Midna and hovered her hand over Link in an attempt to change him back. While the Triforce on her right hand glowed, it was useless.

"What binds him is a different magic than what transformed him when he first passed the curtain of twilight," the princess explained solemnly. "It is an evil power." Link kept shaking his head, begging that she save Midna and not worry about him. He could live as a wolf. Midna, however, couldn't live like this…

Zelda spoke again. "Our world is a world of balance… Just as there is light to drive away darkness, so, too, is there benevolence to banish evil." Midna's eyes were beginning to close slowly, though she tried to fight it. "Head for the Sacred Grove that lies deep within the lands guarded by the spirit Faron. There you will find the blade of evil's bane that was crafted by the wisdom of the ancient sages… the Master Sword." Link was listening, memorizing all of this information, but was this what was supposed to save Midna? There wasn't any time left to go find the legendary Master Sword.

"The Master Sword is a sacred blade that evil can never touch. Evil cloaks you in a dark veil… and that blade is the only thing that can cleave it." Link shook his head even more. He didn't care about returning to normal! What he cared about was his dying friend, lying helpless and the floor in front of him. Maybe Zelda's helping him because she knows Midna won't make it…

"Link… Hero sent by the goddesses…" the princess held up her hand to show him her Triforce of Wisdom. "Like you, I have been granted special powers by the goddesses." She then looked down at Midna with a contemplative face. _Please save her, _he begged.

"Fine… Link…" Midna spoke with half-closed eyes. "You can… You can get to the woods… on your own, right?" She reached one hand up toward Link, or maybe to the sky. The wolf shook his head and whimpered, hoping to will Midna to go on. "Princess… I have one last request."

Zelda nodded. "What is it?"

"Can you tell him… where to find the Mirror of Twilight?" The princess's facial expression changed completely, and began analyzing Midna as if she had just seen her for the first time and was astounded by her being.

"Midna… I believe I understand now just who and what you are… Despite your mortal injuries, you act in our stead. These dark times are the result of our deeds, yet it is you who have reaped the penalty." Zelda paused, as if thinking something over. "Accept this now, Midna. I pass it to you." Gently, Zelda wrapped both of her hands around Midna's raised one, and they both began to glow a bright, heavenly gold. The imp's eyes widened in panic as she began to hover into the air, and though the gold aura around Zelda ceased, it continued to circle around Midna.

In the air, Midna reached out to Link desperately. "No! Link! STOP HER!" she begged. However, Link, who had no idea what was happening, could only stare with widened eyes and observe what was taking place. Zelda looked up at Midna as she ascended, smiled, and disappeared as soon as she let go of her hand.

Gradually, the imp began to return to her original state and colors. After Zelda disappeared, Midna descended to the ground and landed gracefully on her toes, staring at the spot where the princess had just been. She felt a new kind of power coursing through her… something she had never felt before. There was no pain in her anymore, and she even felt stronger. She knew what Zelda had done, and was trying to process receiving this heavenly gift from her.

Meanwhile, relief washed over Link as he watched Midna restore back to perfect health. He thought for sure that this was the end for her. But he couldn't be too happy. He looked over where Midna was, too, and understood. Zelda had given her life for the girl.

Now, he had _two _very good reasons to hunt for Zant's head.

Midna closed her eyes and turned away from where Zelda used to be. "We go back, Link!" she told him. "Back to Faron Woods!" With godly grace, the girl did a flip in the air and landed on Link's back, now sitting up strong and holding on to him tightly. Anyone looking at her could tell that she had a mission to carry out, and this mission was of upmost importance. Her face had a look of unmistakable determination, and her muscles were tensed, ready to go.

Before the two left, Midna looked at the back of her right hand. "Zelda… I've taken all that you had to give… though I did not want it." The Triforce of Wisdom was now Midna's to bear, both a gift and a burden that would last throughout their adventure.


End file.
